Gundam 00: Alter
by Arenz
Summary: Setsuna returns a month after the ELS conflict. But when Celestial Being decides to let the world move on its own it is decided that everyone will live normal lives for a time. While everyone else gets jobs it's decided that Setsuna and Feldt should attend college. How will the Innovator who knows nothing but fighting cope with normal life? Post-Movie
1. Prologue: Return

**Hello everyone! I'm Arenz, and this is my second fanfic (third depending on how you look at it.) and my first Gundam 00. As a long time Gundam fan I really wanted to write one, especially a 00 one. I'll say this now, this is a Setsuna x Feldt fic. While I like Setsuna x Marina to I like him with Feldt more (8 years is a big age gap). Also right now I'm not planning for this to be an action heavy story, although there will be some.**

**So I will say that the idea for the fanfic was from my desire to do a post-movie story an the fact that I really like Cyberslayer-00's _Gundam 00 High_ AU fanfic. I also started reading Ayamesnow's Liberation right after i started planning this fic. It's another good Setsuna x Feldt story that you should read if you haven't already.**

**Another heads up is I will be retconing a few things about the series. (That means retroactive continuity for those that don't know, it means I'm changing things that happened in the series.) For example the one I'll say right now is that Gram survived the ELS battle. I am make him survive because I feel the interaction between him and Setsuna will be to meaning full and fun to write to let him have died. I will say this so no one misunderstands. His death was epic, he went out in a blaze of glory.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00**

**So here is the first chapter of my new story Gundam 00: Alter, enjoy.**

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**Gundam 00**

_Alter_

By Arenz

**Prologue**

_Return_

_Definition of Alter: To make different without changing into something else_

Feldt Grace sat in her usual CIC chair aboard the bridge of the Ptolemaios II. Her pink hair tucked behind her ear as she skillfully completed her usual tasks. As she finished up a report she stopped to look around the room from her raised chair. The two rear consoles were currently in sleep mode, as was the other CIC on the opposite wall. The captain's chair was likewise empty. The only other chair that was occupied was one of the pilot's seats. Lasse Aeon sat relaxing with the ship on autopilot. On second thought relaxing might be the wrong word, even though all she could see was his arms and the tip of his black hair she could tell he was taking a nap.

Feldt couldn't help but giggle at the thought. The main pilot of Celestial Being, which may have been one of the most hunted and hated groups ever, was asleep while piloting. Not that anything had happened lately. It had been a little over a month since the ELS incident. Since the man she cared for, the Gundam Meister Setsuna F. Seiei, had use the Quantize Gate to teleport to the ELS home world to stop the fighting that would have destroyed the human race. Even though she cared for him, she knew it would never be mutual. Setsuna's desire to protect would never be for just her, it would always be the whole worlds. He would protect everyone with all his might, as he had done, just like always. Maybe that is why he was the first human to undergo Innovation. He evolved into something Feldt could not understand, no matter how desperately she wanted to so she could help him.

Realizing her mind was wondering back to the same subject she had thought over countless times in the past month she focused her attention back on the console in front of her. As she went over the latest information they had received from Lockon Stratos, or Lyle Dylandy since Lockon was his codename. Usually the other crewmembers weren't supposed to know ones real name. But in Lyle's case he had replaced his late brother Neil Dylandy as Lockon Stratos, Celestial Being's sniper. Lockon was currently on earth gathering intelligence on how the world was progressing since the ELS incident. Things were chaotic at first, which surprised no one. Earth had just had its first encounter with alien life and it had almost destroyed them. The reason Lockon had gone was because the government had no time to worry about Celestial Being and he also had trustworthy contacts, otherwise they never would have sent the pilot of their only remaining Gundam to earth.

Deciding that she just couldn't focus right now Feldt stretched to unstiffen her muscles. Hearing the door open at the back of the bridge She looked to see Sumeragi Lee Noriega, the captain of the Ptolemaios float in through the door, her red-brown hair flowing behind her because of the lack of gravity. She looked up at Feldt and just as she was about to say something when Feldt placed her finger in front of her lips to signal quite before pointing at Lasse. Sumeragi rolled her eyes at the sleeping pilot but smiled nonetheless. She pushed off the deck and floated up near Feldt so that they could be quitter.

"Anything interesting?" Sumeragi asked as she grabbed Feldt's chair to stop her momentum.

"Not really, nothing new from Lockon, just the usual. Allelujah and Marie left an hour ago for the supply run. Nothing much else though." Feldt replied as she looked back at her screen. Allelujah Haptism was another of the Gundam Meister along with Lockon and Setsuna. He was also a super soldier from the Human Reform League. Marie was an ex-A-Laws pilot that was also a super soldier. The two of them had known each other from when they were kids at the super soldier institute. They had been married since just after the ELS incident.

"Ok. Well don't work yourself to hard, it's not like anything big is going to happen. Take a queue from Lasse, he is the king of not working hard, and the computers will alert you of anything important." Sumeragi half joked with a smile. Feldt joking rolled her eyes at her commander's relaxed attitude. "Still ever the serious one about your job." Sumeragi continued to joke at Feldt's mock reaction.

"I heard that by the way." Lasse spoke up from his seat, now awake.

"Does that mean your denying it?" Sumeragi asked with a raised eyebrow, visibly enjoying herself.

"Of course not." Came Lasse's completely serious sounding reply, causing all three of them to laugh. The two continued to poke fun at each other while Feldt looked at her console once more. Suddenly it started to beep.

Sumeragi once again floated up to Feldt. "That wasn't an approach alarm." She stated. Both her and Lasse watched Feldt waiting for an explanation. She continued to watch her screen before suddenly gasping.

"It's the locator on Harute's GN drive!" Feldt cried out in surprise and joy. "And according to the data the drive is still intact!" She continued as she looked at the others with a shocked look.

"Really?! It wasn't lost when the suit was destroyed?!" Lasse asked, just as surprise as Feldt.

Sumeragi, while just as surprised as the others, wore a more analytical look. "Maybe all the debris from the battle was interfering with the signal." She theorized to herself, before realizing that there were more important things to think about. "Lasse, fly us in that direction, someone will have to go out in a shuttle to retrieve it."

"Roger!" Lasse acknowledged as he turned back to the ship controls and changed their course.

"Hmm, none of the pilots are here, maybe Ian could do it." Sumeragi mumbled to herself.

"I'll go." Feldt told her, floating down from the CIC. "I've had Lasse give me piloting lesson beyond the basics we learned since there was nothing else to do, I can do it." She explained. Sumeragi looked from Feldt to Lasse for confirmation.

"She can handle it." Lasse agreed with a nod.

"Alright, I'll get Mileina to handle the CIC instead. Go get a suit and head to the hanger, I'll have Ian prep the shuttle." Sumeragi consented as Feldt rushed out into the hallway. She pushed off the wall and grabbed one of the handles that came out of the slot in the wall and pulled her along down the hall. Mileina, with her flowing brown hair, emerged from the dining hall and grabbed a handle like Feldt but going towards the bridge.

"What's the commotion about?" She asked Feldt as they floated towards each other.

"We found Harute's GN drive, and it's intact!" Feldt excitedly told her as they floated past each other.

"Of my!" Feldt heard Mileina exclaim as she went around a corner. As Feldt neared the hanger she went into one of the locker rooms. She floated to one of the lockers and pulled a white space suit out. Slipping it on over her usual pink and white Celestial Being uniform. He clicked the helmet into place and sealed it before exiting the locker room and continuing on to the hanger. As she entered she saw Ian Vashti, Mileina's father, and the Haros attaching two devices to the bottom of the blue shuttle.

Ian turned to Feldt once he noticed her. "I've attacked magnetic cable launchers to the bottom. Just fire them at the drive and you should be able to pull it to the underside and drag it back. Once it's in the hanger the Haros will handle the rest from there." He instructed as she entered the shuttle.

"Understood." She replied, starting to feel nervous and excited at the same time. As she sat down at the controls she recalled all the stuff Lasse had taught her.

As the hanger bay doors opened Mileina's face appeared on the screen. "Shuttle you are clear for take off." She told Feldt.

"Shuttle Taking off." Feldt replied as she eased the shuttle out of the hanger.

A Map appeared on the screen next to Mileina's face showing the Ptolemaios' position, the shuttle, and a dot a little ways away. "The GN drive is one point three kilometers from here. According to the data from its locator chip it ejected from the destroyed torso of the Gundam. Watch out for debris out there." Mileina reported in her cheerful yet serious voice.

"Roger." Feldt confirmed as she moved the shuttle towards the indicated point. All around her she could see wreckage from a month ago. Free floating arms and legs of GN-XIII's, a torso or sword of a GN-XIV. Chunks of ships could be seen floating around. There were also silver pieces of metal, remains of ELS that had been destroyed. Some of the pieces took the form of mobile suits, while others were completely foreign. Feldt gave a shudder at the reminder of that terrible and horrifying battle that had claimed countless live, human and ELS. She had decided to not think badly of the ELS since Setsuna's communication had stopped the fighting, so they must have had a good reason for what they did. She just wished Setsuna were there to explain what that reason was. As she neared the designated point she saw the GN drive amidst the wreckage. Just as she was about to near it she heard Mileina yell.

"Watch out!" She yelled, but to late. A wrecked mobile suit torso that had had collided with a large piece of a ship, causing it to pick up speed, crashed into one of the engines. An alarm went off and a red light started flashing while readouts scrolled across the screen.

"The engine is building up power and I can't shut it off!" Feldt cried out, her hands flying over the controls as she tried to stop it.

"Get out of there!" Lasse yelled, and she followed. She pushed out of her chair and towards the door, hitting the open button and grabbing a thruster pack that sat next to the door. She jumped out into the cold vacuum of space and away from the ship. She managed to drift a good distance before the engine exploded. It took most of its side of the ship with it, and probably sprayed the inside with shrapnel. Since Feldt was on the other side of the shuttle none of it came her way, but the shuttle did start to drift in her direction. She strapped on the thruster pack and used it to move out of the way of the drifting shuttle.

"Feldt! Feldt! Are you ok?!" Sumeragi was yelling over the intercom in her helmet.

"I'm ok." She finally replied. A little shaken up.

She could hear Sumeragi let her breath out in a long sigh. "Don't scare me like that aga…" She sentence was cut off as Feldt heard the proximity alarm go off in the background.

"A contact had just appeared near Feldt's current position!" Mileina reported sounding worried.

"Appeared? Is it stealth?" Sumeragi asked to clarify.

"No, it just appeared, as if it formed there." Mileina responded sounding confused herself. Feldt started looking around to see it she could find out what it was. She finally spotted something approaching her.

"What is it?" Sumeragi could be heard asking Mileina, concern clear in her voice.

"It seems to be a mobile suit, wait I'm getting a signal from it." Suddenly she gasped. "But this signal is…"

Feldt didn't hear any of this though because she was focused on the approaching object. The first thing she noticed was that it was emitting green GN particles. The second thing she noticed was that it had a mostly blue torso and a white head, while its arms and legs seemed to be missing their armor and was only gray frame. It had a blue and white shield like object on its back, with six green blade like objects attached to the side of the shield like object. Feldt felt her heart beat faster and the feeling of excitement rising. _Setsuna!_ She screamed in her mind with joy and excitement. As the mobile suit neared she got a good look at it, the 00 Qan[t], the Innovator's Gundam, made just for Setsuna. When the Gundam was no more than twenty feet away the cockpit hatch opened. It slowly drifted towards her and a person in a blue pilot suit stepped out while holding the rim and reached out to her. She reached out and took the hand without any hesitation.

"Feldt Grace are you alright?" The pilot of the suit asked in an emotionless but strong voice as he grabbed her hand. Emotionless or not, hearing that voice made Feldt extremely happy.

"Yes Setsuna I'm fine." She replied as he pulled her into the cockpit, the happiness clear in her voice. As he sat back down she was pulled into his lap since there was nowhere else to sit, this caused her face to go close to the same color as her hair. She was hoping that Setsuna wouldn't notice when she was reminded that there was another presence in the cockpit.

A chuckle could be heard from the Veda terminal in the cockpit before Tieria appeared, fortunately he didn't comment on what he had noticed, but instead on something else. "Setsuna, that appears to be Allelujah's GN drive over there, I imagine that is why Feldt was out here." He told the pilot while indicating it on the screen.

"Roger, moving to retrieve." Setsuna acknowledged as he flew over to the drive and grabbed it in the Qan[t]'s hands. He then proceeded to move towards the Ptolemaios. Feldt sat there far to happy and embarrassed to say anything. Just as she got her blush under control when a window popped up showing Mileina in the CIC chair and Sumeragi behind her.

"Mr. Seiei, Mr. Erde! Your back!" Mileina exclaimed happily. Causing Feldt to remember she had confessed to Tieria.

"Setsuna, Tieria, your late." Sumeragi jokingly scolded them appearing on the screen. She then gave Feldt a look that said she found something very funny.

Tieria, who decided to play along, chuckled. "We got a little lost on the way." He joked back.

Sumeragi gave a little laugh before addressing Setsuna. "So did you see your handy work?" She asked him.

Setsuna looked out the side of the cockpit towards the giant desert flower that the ELS had formed after Setsuna's dialogue with them. He simply nodded as he looked back towards the screen.

"Ever the modest one." She sighed with a smile. Feldt turned slightly so that she could look at Setsuna. Unfortunately the tint on his helmet made it impossible to see his face. The action only served to remind her that she was siting in his lap, causing her blush again so she quickly turned back to facing forward.

As the Qan[t] flew in the open hanger doors Tieria transferred himself to the Ptolemaios' computer. As soon as the hatch opened Feldt stood up and floated out of the cockpit. A sliver of disappointment went through her at having to move despite how embarrassed she was. When she realized what she felt she felt a bit childish and once again embarrassed.

"Setsuna!" Ian called out as he floated towards the Gundam. "It's about time you got back! We were starting to worry!" He jokingly told the pilot with a smile visible through his helmet.

"Sorry to worry you." Setsuna gave his usual emotionless reply, causing Feldt to giggle at how he never did get jokes, or at least ignored that it was a joke. Once Ian and Setsuna got the Qan[t] secured and the Haros working on the GN drive the three of them moved out of the hanger. Feldt went into the female's locker room while the other two went into the male's. Once she had removed her space suit she exited the room to see the others exiting the other room. Setsuna now wore his usual white and blue uniform that they had kept clean for him. But when she looked at his face she gasped. The tips of his usually raven colored hair were white, but only the hair that fell down around his head, not what was on top, almost like a crown, but messier. Setsuna pushed off and started heading towards the bridge without saying anything. She looked to Ian but he just shrugged. As they moved Feldt noticed Setsuna glance at her briefly, but before she could ask anything they reached the bridge. As they entered they saw both Sumeragi and Lasse were leaning against the back of their respective chairs watching the door. Mileina on the other hand looked up from her screen that had Tieria on it. They had probably been talking, no surprise after Mileina's shocking confession. Linda Vashti was also on the bridge floating behind her daughter.

Sumeragi moved to stand right in front of Setsuna. "Well that's new." She flatly stated while looking at his hair. This caused Lasse to let out a poorly suppressed laugh.

"Sorry for expecting something profound or touching from our leader." He said as they looked at him.

"Eh I was never good at the sappy stuff." Sumeragi defended herself. "So what's up with your hair anyway?"

"It's a byproduct of prolonged connection to the ELS." Tieria explained from Mileina's console. "To be expected when you're connected for a month." He continued.

"What is the state of the world?" Setsuna asked, speaking for the first time since entering the bridge.

"Peaceful for now. Since the ELS incident no one has had enough time to make a move so we haven't needed to act. Since we only have a damaged Zabanya by way of fighting strength its probably for the best." Sumeragi explained. "For now we are on standby, but we can talk about that later, I'm sure your tired." She finished, and Setsuna nodded as confirmation. "Everyone is dismissed." She announced. Ian and Linda spoke to Setsuna briefly before leaving. Mileina went back to talking to Tieria. Lasse sat back down in his seat and Sumeragi smiled at Setsuna before moving to sit in the captain's chair again. As Setsuna turned and left the bridge Feldt followed him out.

Once they were out in the hall and had away from the door to the bridge Setsuna looked back at Feldt again. "A whirlwind." He stated, staring at her.

"What do you mean?" She asked with a confused look.

"The ELS's emotions are very different from humans, so I'm still getting used to sensing human emotions again. Everyone else's I can interpret. But yours are like a whirlwind." He explained in his monotone way.

Feldt felt the heat once again rising to her face. How could she have forgotten that he can sense emotions. She mentally kicked herself for what she had been feeling while sitting in his lap. "I'm just really, really happy your back Setsuna." She told him with a warm smile. He simply nodded as he turned and kept moving, apparently finding that a sufficient explanation. A slight sadness started to creep into her mind, but she pushed it away, not wanting him to be burdened by why she felt that way. She watched his back until he turned a corner, then she moved towards her own room. Once she was inside she let the sad smile show on her face. It was no lie that she was extremely happy, but she also was a little sad. She shook her head to clear it. Setsuna was who he was, she had accepted that a month again when he sortied to open dialogues with the ELS. Unfortunately no matter how much she though that, it didn't change how she felt.

She loved Setsuna F. Seiei.

**PROLOUGE END**

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**So what did you think? I hope you liked it. For the record from here on I will probably favor Setsuna as the character that is followed instead of Feldt.**

**I have some fun ideas in store so if you like it be sure to tell me. **

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review. I love reviews, especially ones with constructive criticism. It gets me fired up to make sure you can't tell me it a second time. but even if you don't have criticism still review, every review is more motivation to write.**

**Again I really want to know what you thought of my prologue so please tell me.**

**-Arenz**


	2. Chapter 1: Outsider

**Hello and i'm back for chapter one. Thank you to everyone that review, I hope I can meet your expectations. Your reviews really do motivate me, and i'm happy to see so many of you were willing to review. I got half as many views on my first chapter as I did on 7 chapters of my digimon fic.**

**Gundam 00 has some sweet soundtracks. I listen to soundtracks while i write because it helps me concentrate, but man some of 00's are awesome. Unicorn had great ones as well.**

**So Setsuna is hard to write. He shows no emotion, but that doesn't mean he has none, so its a delicate balance. I'm still trying to imagine a talkative Setsuna (Not saying he is going to be talkative, but it's still fun to think about.) Plus i mean introverted Feldt and antisocial/silent Setsuna, fun time making conversation between them. haha but all jokes aside.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00.**

**So here is chapter one of Gundam 00: Alter! Enjoy!**

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**Gundam 00**

**Alter**

**Chapter One**

_Outsider_

_Definition of Outsider: A person who does not belong to a particular group._

The shining sun reflecting off of buildings, the gentle breeze that kept you from getting hot, the view of the orbital elevator rising into the sky above you. It was a day that would cause anyone to smile and enjoy it. At least it would be for anyone that showed emotion. Which in this case counted out one raven-haired young man walking down the road. He wore his normal emotionless expression and ignored the glances from people curious about the white tips of his hair.

Setsuna had been back for two weeks and it had been a major two weeks. He couldn't help but recall the discussion that had been held one week ago in the briefing room of the Ptolemaios.

_Setsuna had been summoned from his room and was the last to arrive. The whole crew was present including Allelujah, Marie, and Lyle who had returned from earth. Setsuna took his place as Sumeragi started talking._

"_As you all know, currently the world is undergoing many changes due to its encounter with the ELS. Because of this there is currently no major conflicts that require intervention." She paused to look around at all of them before letting out a sigh and taking a less formal tone. "Ah forget it, this speech stuff is bothersome so Tieria you explain the rest." She complained as she stepped back._

_Tieria gave a slight smile as she stepped forward. "As I mentioned when the ELS first appeared, the 'dialogues to come' mentioned in the Aeolia Plan were not supposed to happen until humans had expanded out into space beyond our solar system." He explained. "As such, there is no precedence for what to do in this situation. With the world not in need of interventions at this time, and after much discussion with Miss Sumeragi, it has been decided that we will go into standby mode. Due to the undeterminable nature of events we believe that the best course of action is to take up normal lives on earth." He announced causing everyone to wear either a confused or surprised expression, or at least everyone minus one._

"_So what? We all get jobs?" Lyle skeptically asked for clarification._

"_That's correct, given that almost everyone on this ship has at least some engineering knowledge it should not be hard." Tieria confirmed. "Of course it is entirely up to each individual as to what they want to do."_

_Sumeragi stepped forward again. "For simplicity and convenience we decided that we would all live in the same general area. After discussing it Tieria and I decided that the optimal place would be the South America Orbital Elevator." She continued the explanations. "This is because it contains a large number of businesses to work at including the orbital elevator itself. It also allows for a quick return to space if the need arises."_

"_What about the Ptolemaios and the Gundams?" Allelujah asked._

"_The Ptolemaios will remain in space at one of Celestial Being's bases, The Qan[t] and the Zabanya will be smuggled into the city once they are repaired. This will make it so we can access them in case of emergencies." Tieria answered._

"_Is there any other questions?" Sumeragi asked while looking around the room. When no one spoke she continued. "Then you are all dismissed. We depart for earth in two days, think about it until then." As the started to file out She spoke to three of them. "Setsuna, Feldt, and Mileina please stay." The requested three stopped and waited for the others to leave, as did Ian and Linda. Once all the others were gone she spoke to them. "Given your ages I have a request for the three of you. I would like you to attend college, or high school in your case Mileina." She stated._

"_That sounds like fun!" Mileina cheered seeming to like the idea._

_Setsuna on the other hand not so much. "Why?" He flatly asked._

"_In Mileina's case it's because at her age it just makes sense. In the case of you two you both have very little social experience and it would not hurt to learn something outside of what is necessary to survive and fight. Since your twenty-three Setsuna you're at the top end but it's still not that odd that you would be in college." She explained._

"_While we have no right to speak to yours and Feldt's cases we agree that it would be for the best." Ian interjected._

"_Of course this is a request and not an order, so it's up to you wither you want to or not." Sumeragi continued._

_Feldt hesitated for a second before speaking up. "I'll do it." She told them. "I think it's a chance I won't get again so I'll go for it." She said, sounding more confident then she felt._

_Setsuna stood there silently. While he could not see the point of this his Innovator's Intuition told him that they genuinely thought it was the best course of action for him. "Alright." He finally answered, causing Sumeragi to let out a relived breath._

"_Good, I'll take care of the preparations, just tell me what you want to study by tomorrow. Otherwise you can go." She told them and Setsuna quickly left the room._

Which explains the current situation. Setsuna was walking along the road with a messenger bag full of books on his way to the campus. In the end Setsuna had chosen to customize a degree that would give him the knowledge to research the ELS. He had decided that it was his most logical choices due to his dialogue with the beings and the others wanting him to learn something new. Otherwise he would have chosen engineering since he had more then sufficient knowledge on the subject, as did Feldt. Feldt on the other hand had chosen a medical degree. Setsuna meant to ask her why when he got the chance. As he reached the campus he headed straight for his first classroom. He shared two General Education classes with Feldt, which he figured was probably on purpose due to Miss Sumeragi. Which were his first class, which was Feldt's second, and both of their last class. The class was held in a newer building that was four stories tall. The class itself was on the third floor.

Setsuna was the first to arrive and took a seat towards the back. This being the third day of classes he had already learned that people avoid him. In most cases there were at least two empty seats between him and the next person. The one person that would sit near him was obviously Feldt. But he had insisted that she didn't due to it would inhibit her ability to develop a social life. When he had told her as much she had told him _what's logical isn't always what's best_ while seeming annoyed, his intuition also told him she was angry with him for some reason.

As he was thinking the girl in question entered the room, Feldt wore a simple blouse with jeans. Two other girls she had met in her major accompanied her. She sat down two seats away from him and after a quick glance at him the other two girls sat down beside her on the opposite side from Setsuna. Both girls kept glancing at Setsuna like he was some dangerous beast. They became even more worried once they noticed that Feldt was completely fine even though she was the closest to him. Setsuna could tell they wanted to comment about it, but before either could class started. At that point there was no chance to ask. They had already realized that once class started Feldt became very focused, as did Setsuna. Probably habit from all the long hours of training, not that the two girls would know that.

The current class was history, which both Feldt and Setsuna would admit, was not something they knew very well, it had never been needed. They were currently learning about the ancient times of the Romans. Feldt didn't see the point of needing to know such things, but took through notes nonetheless.

After the hour was up everyone started to pack their books back into their bags. One of the girls, a darkish blonde haired girl that Setsuna believed was named Sophie finally asked the question.

"How can you be so calm sitting near him?" She whispered, probably believing Setsuna couldn't hear. Unfortunately for her since his Innovation all his senses had been heightened, so he could hear her perfectly fine.

"Who? Setsuna?" Feldt replied, looking over at him.

"Yeah." Confirmed the other girl, she had black hair and he recalled her name was Ella. The two girls glanced at Setsuna who was calmly putting his books away. "He's so unapproachable. I feel like he would just suddenly attack." She shuddered.

Feldt frowned at the Implication. "He does give off an intimidating feel I'll admit, but he's not a bad person, he's actually rather kind." She countered, not sounding annoyed but he could feel she was, as well as slightly defensive on his part.

"What makes you so sure of that?" Sophie asked, looking skeptical.

"I wonder if he's one of those people that we have been hearing about on the news, what are they called, inna… inna something." Ella suggested.

"Innovators." Feldt finished for her. Slightly amused at them thinking that, seeing as how he was the first Innovator. Setsuna sensed her amusement but, while he could understand the what, he usually failed to understand the why of emotions.

As the conversation continued Setsuna pulled a small box out of his bag as he stood up. He walked over to the three girls and held it out to Feldt. "Marie asked me to deliver this to you." He told her, monotone as usual.

"Ah, the cookies she was going to try baking! I've been waiting to try them." Feldt said as she took the box. "Thanks Setsuna. By the way, these are my friends Ella and Sophie." She introduced, but neither of the girls would look him in the eye. Setsuna just nodded before turning and walking away.

"You KNOW him?" Accused Sophie once Setsuna left the room, her eyes practically bulging.

"Uh, yeah." Feldt hesitantly confirmed, her introversion getting the better of her.

"Why didn't you tell us that?" Ella cried. "I feel like a fool now."

"How can you be friends with him? I felt like his eyes could see right through me." Sophie added, causing Feldt cringe slightly.

Feldt stood up before speaking again. "I told you, he's not a bad person, just hard to approach. I'll see you two later since my next class is about to start." She told them again as she walked out. The three of them shared some medical classes, but since they were going to be nurses and Feldt was trying for being a doctor she had more classes then them.

Setsuna's next class was metal studies. He had some classes from geology, as well as some mobile suit engineering courses, anything that he felt would be beneficial to understanding the ELS. The class passed quickly, as did the remainder of them. The one common point in all his classes was that there were always people talking about him. Some commented o his white tipped hair, others on his intimidating aura. During his last class Feldt once again sat two chairs away, but was alone this time. As the class finished up Setsuna packed his bag and stood up to leave, but just after getting out of the classroom Feldt called out to him.

"Setsuna!" She called after him, causing him to stopped and look back. "You always leave so fast, I thought we may as well walk back together since we live so close." She told him once she caught up.

"That's fine." He consented flatly. As they left the building Setsuna sensed the whirlwind starting to form in Feldt again, but he still could not understand what it was. They walked in silence before Setsuna though of a question he wanted to ask. "Why were you defensive?" He asked.

"Huh? When was I defensive?" She asked, genuinely confused.

"Earlier, when those two girls were talking about me." He said, as always in a flat, uninterested way.

"Oh then, you felt that? Wait you heard that?" She said as she looked away from him. He felt the Whirlwind intensify. "You'd think I would be used to your abilities by now." She continued as she looked forward again. "I guess I just didn't like them talking bad about you, and it's not like you'll say anything." She accused.

"It's unnecessary. What they think of me is not important." He countered.

"Setsuna, we were sent here to learn and gain social experience. You will never be able to do that with that mindset. I mean look at me, I'm not used to this, I just have to try hard." She growled, getting annoyed again.

"You're doing a good job." He said, which would sound like praise from anyone else, but it sounded like a simple fact coming from him. Regardless Feldt couldn't help but be happy. "So why Medicine?" He asked the question he had wondered about earlier.

Feldt couldn't help but giggle. "You're being rather talkative today." She joked.

"Social experience." Was all he said.

Feldt stared at him for a second trying to decide if he was being overly simple or if he had actually cracked a joke. She hesitantly decided it was probably the former and moved on to answer his question. "I have multiple reasons. I want to study the effects of GN particles for one. That way we can better understand the changes it causes. Also there's…" She suddenly stopped. "Well that's the main reason." She corrected herself. Setsuna felt there was more to it but at the same time the whirlwind once again intensified, so he decided not to ask anymore. They spent the rest of the trip in silence. As they reached the apartments that Feldt lived she turned to face him.

"Thank you for walking with me. Here is the box, tell Marie they were good, I ate them at lunch." She told Him as she walked to the door and entered. Feldt lived with the Vashtis' since it made more sense then her living alone. The building had apartments for two and four people. Allelujah and Marie also lived in the same building in a two-person apartment.

Setsuna continued on down the street for a few minutes before arriving where he was living. It was a two-story building that Lyle had bought. The down stairs was a diner while the upstairs held four bedrooms. He lived there with Lyle, Tieria, and Lasse. Everyone had found a job at this point. Lyle had bought the place because he wanted to run a diner, much to everyone's supprise, fueled by Tieria's point about him being more of a bar person. Allelujah and Marie had decided to work at the diner instead of getting jobs elsewhere. Tieria had taken up information gathering and trading, which was debatable if that was a job or not. Lasse got a job as a mechanic. Ian and Linda worked as engineers for a nearby business. Sumeragi was elsewhere but no one really sure where.

As he entered the diner he noted that only two tables were occupied. He went up to the counter and placed the box on it, catching Marie's attention, she wore a simple black shirt and tan pants. "Feldt said they were good." He recounted as she took the box.

"That's good, I wasn't sure how they turned out. Allelujah wouldn't be honest if they were bad so I figured Feldt was a better choice." Marie sighed.

"Hey Setsuna." Lyle greeted as he walked out of a back room, he wore a green short sleeve button up and dark jeans. "Did Feldt agree that the cookies were good?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Setsuna nodded in reply. "See I told you they were fine Marie." Lyle told her.

"Where's Allelujah?" Setsuna noted the lack of the meister

"He is out on a supply run." Lyle answered. "Who knew it took so much stuff to run a diner." He grumbled.

Marie gave a little laugh at Lyle's complaints. "It was your idea, you have no right to complain." She then moved off to check on the two tables. Lyle meanwhile set about making some coffee.

"Hey Setsuna, you able to help clean tables if it gets busy? Not that it's likely since we just opened." He asked as he set a cup of coffee in front of Setsuna.

Setsuna took a sip from the cup before replying. "If needed." Was all he said before taking another drink. Lyle smiled at Setsuna's ever-simple answers before moving to get stuff read for dinnertime. After Setsuna finished his drink he stood up and headed into the back room before heading upstairs. He entered his spartan room, which consisted of a bed, desk, closet, and a mostly empty bookshelf. He placed his bag on the desk before lying down on the bed.

As he lay there an idea came to him. He felt his consciousness expand outwards, just like it had while he was fighting. This was not something he had tried to do outside of the Gundam. He brushed across Tieria in his room as well as two minds downstairs that reacted almost as strongly as Tieria. He sensed curiosity from all three minds. He figured Allelujah must be back since it was him and Marie who had reacted. All the other minds in the diner and the street out front reacted weakly, although to varying degrees. The strain of keeping his mind open to such a wide area started to place a strain and he retreated back into his own mind. Without the aid of GN particles it was much more difficult. He would have to experiment more with it. As he though this he drifted off into a sleep.

**CHAPTER ONE END**

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**So nothing particularly exciting. I figure everyone has figured out what the whirlwind of emotions is by now, ah poor oblivious Setsuna.**

**So I had not intended to continue with the definition of the title thing, but it's sorta fun so I'm going to go with it.**

**I'm hoping to not turn this into a school drama fanfic, but there will be some. not sure how long this will be but at most probably ten chapters.**

**As always please review, it really is highly motivating. so until next time.**

**-Arenz**


	3. Chapter 2: Counterpart

**Hello readers. I'm back with my third chapter.**

**So I said this in my first chapter but one of the things I've changed from the movie is Graham survived the battle with the ELS. So I don't want people complaining about it.**

**So somewhat funny story, while writing this i couldn't remember if Graham heard Setsuna's name while on the Ptolmaios so i have to get the movie out. I then got sidetracked watching the rest of the movie instead of writing...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00**

**So here is Chapter two of Alter!**

* * *

**Gundam 00**

**Alter**

**Chapter Two**

_Counterpart_

_Definition of Counterpart: One having the same function or characteristics as another_

As Marie had pointed out one day, the perk of living in a diner is you never have to worry about your meals. Setsuna found this to be true as he sat eating breakfast. After three weeks of college he was used to the schedule, but the people still posed a problem. As he finished up he looked around. There was only one lone customer in the diner who was just finishing up. After a quick glance at his watch the man threw a tip out on the table and rushed out. Setsuna was also about to go get ready when Tieria walked out from the back room.

"Good no one is here." He said as he walked over and sat down by Setsuna. He then looked at Lyle who were behind the counter and Allelujah who went to clean the now vacant table. "Allelujah come here for a moment." Tieria ordered.

"What's up?" Allelujah asked as he stopped cleaning and walked over, all three of the meisters immediately knew it was something to do with Celestial Being.

"I wanted to update you on the progress of the mobile suits." Tieria said in a hushed voice. "The Qan[t] and the Zabanya will be read to be smuggled into the city in a week, they have also started building a new suit for Harute's GN drive. Although I should note that the Zabanya won't have all it's armaments. Once the suits arrive Ian will have to make the final adjustments to them since he knows how to tune them to your standards." He explained.

"That was fast, I though we were to short on resources, so how can they repair is so fast? I mean the Qan[t] needed a whole armor for all it's limbs and the Zabanya needed an arm at least." Lyle pointed out.

"That would be thanks to Ms. Sumeragi's good insight. A week after the battle with the ELS a plan was passed to dismantle the Space ship 'Celestial Being' due to the extensive damage it took in the battle. This would also allow them to better analyze the ship as they dismantle it. Once the plan was passed Ms. Sumeragi manage to get a hold of quite a few useful materials. That is also how I manage to get my body back so quickly. While she was procuring resources she also manage to get a hold of a terminal incubation unit and even started to prepare a new body for me. I'm somewhat surprised she didn't mention it." Tieria finished his explanation. Lyle just shrugged as he finished.

Setsuna stood up as the conversation finished. "I would like to look over the Qan[t] once Ian has tuned it." He said as he walked towards the back room. Once he closed the door behind him the three other meisters just looked at the door.

"I can't help but feel he hasn't improved much." Lyle stated before turning to greet a customer as the door opened.

"I wouldn't quite say that." Tieria and Allelujah muttered at the same time.

Setsuna meanwhile was upstairs preparing his books. As he pushed the last book into his bag he realized that he had a little time before he needed to leave. He walked over and sat down on his bed before closing his eyes and concentrating. He hadn't cared much to explore his powers in the two years leading up to the ELS incident, but now it made him curious. He had found that he could expand his mind to encompass the diner, most of the two buildings next to it, and the street out front. He also discovered that it was easier to touch each mind individually instead of taking them all in at once. He had stopped bothering Allelujah since he seemed to be aware of Setsuna touching his mind, but he had asked Tieria to help him test his powers. He wondered if maybe his power were still developing since they were nowhere near the level that the innovades had exhibited. Tieria hypothesized that it could be because that was the purpose of the innovades, and that it was harder for Setsuna both because he was unfamiliar with the power and because he didn't have another innovator to communicate with.

Setsuna opened his eyes again and stood up. This had become both a morning and nightly routine for him. So far he could tell nothing more then emotions, but he found he was starting to notice differences in the reaction strength on the minds he touched. Lyle was actually one of the stronger reactions, but still nowhere near Tieria's level. He grabbed his bag and headed out. He nodded goodbye to Allelujah and Lyle as he exited through the diner, also making note that he had counted the correct number of people in the diner while he has been using his quantum brainwaves, which he did just to see if he was picking them out distinctly enough. As he left he headed in the direction of the college. He had become used to the walk and was even starting to find it relaxing. As he neared the campus he noticed that there was a military vehicle parked in one of the guest parking spots. Making note of it just in case he continued on into the building toward his first class. Once he reached the room he took his usual seat at the back, while people were used to him now, they still avoided him.

It didn't take long before more students started to arrive. Among them was the usual pink hair. A week ago she had decided to completely ignore his suggestion and took the seat next to him, which had become her usual seat. Sophie and Ella took the seats next to her other side as was usual. The two girls had at least come to be able to bear being near Setsuna, although they never spoke to him.

"Good morning Setsuna." Feldt greeted. She had become known as the only person that talked to Setsuna. Setsuna, as always, just nodded in response. "I'll be coming over to the diner tonight to see everyone so don't rush out like you always do." She informed him.

"Understood." He replied as class started. Setsuna had gotten used to Feldt's whirlwind by this point. He still couldn't understand what it was, but he did feel that it was becoming slightly clearer, perhaps because of his practice. He also learned to take notes while also taking in the emotions around him. Frustration at not understanding the teacher, humor as someone quietly cracked a joke, enjoyment as someone watched a video in class. He couldn't help but wonder if this was the normal life he was supposed to learn about. He couldn't understand most of it, it was just to outside his norm. As the class ended he put his books away before standing up and walking towards the door.

"See you later Setsuna." Feldt called after him. To which he once again nodded.

His Metal Studies class passed quickly. He was settled in and his third class, Basic Mobile Suit Development, which he was taking out of curiosity to how normal mobile suits were made, had started. It was then that he got a rather large surprise.

The man that stood at the podium was not the usual teacher. "As you know, later in the semester we have a guest speaker come in to talk about mobile suit development." The man said, whom Setsuna recognized as the head of the department. "Unfortunately Mr. Hazel has had an accident and is currently hospitalized for a few days." The man continued, referring to the class's usual teacher. "Because of this we have asked the military if there is anyone available so that we can hold the guest speaking now instead of later in the year. I know it's unconventional but it worked out well. We not only got a speaker, but also a pilot to explain what they look for in a mobile suit." The man paused to motion to people right outside a side door near the front. Setsuna couldn't help but feel the sensations he sensed were familiar. "So I would like to introduce to you Mr. Billy Katagiri and Mr. Graham Aker!" The department head announced.

The two men entered the room, the first having light brown hair tied up in a ponytail and the other was blond with a scar covering most of the right side of his face. Billy walked up to the podium while Graham scanned the class. When his eyes came across Setsuna at the back of the class Setsuna felt his surprise while seeing him grin before he continued to look over the rest of the class. As Billy started talking Setsuna tried to listen while also keeping an eye on Graham. The whole class Graham didn't look at Setsuna again, even while speaking. When it was finally over he started to pack his bags, but while doing so he glanced down at the front to see Graham talking to the department head. While Graham never pointed at Setsuna he could tell from the department head's interest in him that Graham had asked about him. He left the class without any incident though and didn't see Graham the remainder of the day.

When his final class finished he took his time and let Feldt say goodbye to her friends like she had asked. Once she was done they walked out of the room without talking. Once they were out in the hall Feldt broke the silence.

"How were your classes?" She asked, not expecting much of a response.

She was in for a surprise though. "Eventful." He told her.

This got her attention. "How so?"

"Billy Katagiri and Graham Aker spoke in my class." He explained.

"You mean Ms. Sumeragi's friend and the one that was on the Ptolemaios during the ELS incident?" She asked for clarification.

"Correct." He confirmed. "And Graham Aker noticed me." He continued.

"Do you think it's a problem?"

"Let's ask him." Setsuna said as the stopped as they exited the building. Standing a few feet in front of them was Graham Aker.

"Hello young man, and the young miss from that time as well." Graham greeted. "I realize after six years I never actually learned your names."

"Setsuna F. Seiei." Setsuna replied, as if he didn't care. Setsuna was actually having a hard time figuring Graham out. Graham's emotions told Setsuna that he was happy about their meeting, but because he simply wanted to meet him, no ulterior motives.

"Um, I'm Feldt Grace." Feldt hesitantly introduced herself, oblivious to Setsuna's confusion.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Graham responded. "I was hoping we would have a chance to talk."

"That's fine, we are just headed to the diner that I'm living at." Setsuna told him, monotone as usual.

"Thank you." Graham said as they started walking. "I suppose I should also thank you for saving the world from the ELS." He continued. "After all, it was your efforts that stopped them and created that. I'm assuming that's also where you got your new hairstyle." He said while gesturing towards the giant desert flower in the sky and then Setsuna's white tipped hair. It seemed that the tips were permanent, as it grew the white remained.

"I did what I had to do, nothing more." Setsuna countered. Graham just shrugged his shoulders before a silence descended over them.

After a time Graham spoke up again. "So you are learning mobile suit engineering?" He asked.

"It was suggested that I learn something normal because of the current peace, so I intend to study the ELS." Setsuna explained. "The class you spoke in was more curiosity."

"I see. Well don't lose your skills, I would enjoy having a match against you someday." Graham told him with a grin.

Feldt looked up at Setsuna, somewhat amazed at the amount of talking he was doing, only to see what was a faint grin on his face. She felt her heart jolt and a smile appeared on her face.

Setsuna noticed the jolt in her emotions, but it's meaning was as always hidden by the whirlwind.

"So Ms. Grace, what are you training for?" Graham asked now looking at Feldt.

Feldt glanced away, her introversion acting up, before trusting the fact the Setsuna was being so open. "I'm training to be a doctor. I want to be able to understand the effects the GN particles and the ELS have on humans." She told him, glancing at Setsuna as she finished.

"I see." He said, noticing her glance and grinning a bit at it. "So you both are interested in the ELS." He said, it was not a question but a statement.

"After being at the center of that battle, it's hard to not take and interest." She explained.

"I can understand that. It was quite the day, no one will be forgetting it anytime soon." He agreed.

"We're here." Setsuna said as he walked into the diner. He walked up to the counter and set his bag at his feet as he sat down.

"Hey Setsuna." Lyle greeted. "Hello Feldt." He continued as the girl took the stool next to Setsuna. He then noticed Graham. "Your that officer from during the ELS incident." He stated, clearly suspicious.

"It's fine." Setsuna calmed him, feeling his suspicion.

"I'm thankful you're so willing to trust me." Graham said as he sat on Setsuna's other side.

"It's not that simple, if you can fool Setsuna, then you're truly impressive." Lyle joked.

"Is that the Innovator's intuition I've heard of?" Graham asked, raising an eyebrow to Setsuna.

"Something like that." Setsuna replied. Lyle placed cups of coffee in front of Setsuna and Graham and a glass of milk in front of Feldt since she didn't like coffee.

"On the house, not everyday Setsuna brings people here." Lyle joke. "I'm Lyle by the way." He introduced himself, not even bothering to use his codename.

"Thank you." Graham said as he took a sip. "So I'm assuming Celestial Being isn't active since you are all here." He guessed while indicating them, as well as Allelujah who was cooking and Marie who was taking orders. Graham had met Allelujah briefly when he also met Lyle when he came on board the Ptolemaios during the ELS incident. Marie he knew from the A-Laws.

"Celestial Being isn't needed right now." Lyle simply said, not exactly confirming anything.

"True enough." Graham grinned. "Well I should get going. I have to speak at more classes tomorrow." He said as he stood up. "Thanks for the coffee, I'll stop by again sometime." He told them as he headed for the door.

"Until then." Setsuna told Graham as he walked out.

"Setsuna I could use your help cleaning up tables." Lyle told him. Pointing to the filling diner. They had become somewhat popular lately.

Setsuna was only half listening. He was focusing on Graham as he left, using his power to touch his mind, as he did he gauged the reaction. The reaction was about on the same level as Lyle's, but he also felt Graham's satisfaction at having their talk. "Understood." Setsuna finally replied as he stood up and grabbed his bag before moving to take it upstairs.

Once he was through the door Lyle leaned over to Feldt. "Is it just me or does he seem like he enjoyed the idea of him visiting again?" Lyle said in almost disbelief.

Instead of answering Feldt told him about earlier. "When Mr. Aker mentioned having a match with Setsuna, he had a faint grin." She told him, causing his eyebrows to go up in surprise.

"To think it would be someone like him to help change Setsuna." Lyle shook his head.

"Maybe he just needed to meet someone like him to start the change." Feldt wondered. "Regardless it's a good thing." She smiled.

"You know, what I don't get is with all he can sense how is it that he hasn't figured you out yet." Lyle poked fun at her, causing her to blush slightly at his implication.

"Actually I'm curious as to that as well, especially since Setsuna has been using his Quantum brainwaves." Allelujah said as he walked over next to Lyle.

"I know the answer to that." Tieria said as he came out of the back room and sat down. "He asked me to help him practice with his brainwaves. At one point he mentioned how He couldn't sense Feldt's feelings well." The purple haired meister told them.

Tieria's explanation made Feldt remember something Setsuna had said. "When he first returned he mentioned that my feelings were like a whirlwind. Maybe they still are." She recalled. "But I wonder why?"

"Love is a complex emotion, plus it's directed at him, so he isn't just a passive observer like he's used to, that might make it less clear for him." Marie hypothesized as she joined the group. The mention of love made Feldt blush again. She had come to terms with it but having it said out loud still made her flustered.

Luckily Setsuna returning from upstairs saved her. The raven-haired young man just looked at all of them before re-taking his seat. He was somewhat curious at the sensation of interest that he got from everyone directed at him, except Feldt who's whirlwind had intensified again. The one thing he had figured out about the whirlwind is that it seemed to be a particular emotion that was distorting the rest and making the storm of feelings. But what that emotion was he had no idea.

"I should get going." Feldt finally said as she stood up. "I don't want to get in your way for dinnertime." She grabbed her bag from next to her feet. "Goodbye everyone." She told them as she walked out the door. Once outside she let out a sigh. After all that analysis from her friends and Setsuna's curious gaze she had felt like she was suffocating. Finally she straightened up and made her way home.

**CHAPTER TWO END**

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**Fun chapter, I just really like the idea of Graham and Setsuna being at least close to friends. I guess it's because they really are so similar.**

**Well tell me your thoughts and if you liked or disliked it. As well as any problems you noticed. thats right REVIEW! because reviews make the writer world go round.**

**well look forward to next chapter, I have some fun stuff planned. So until next time.**

**-Arenz**


	4. Chapter 3: Mystify

**Hello again as always. Guess I should start off be saying sorry this toke so long. Between work, being lazy, Tales of Xilia being released, and the Final Fantasy XIV Beta, I have just not given the time to writing. not to mention I kept getting sidetracked while writing, the first 2/3 of this chapter was written like 200 words at a time.**

**But as they say, Excuses, excuses. on to more important things.**

**Like HOLY CRAP! I hoped Graham would go over well but dang people! Your awesome! Thank you so much for all the reviews and i'm glad you all are enjoying it. despite taking so long those reviews were still really helpful and motivating. (And made me feel guilting for taking so long lol) So something I wanted to clarify. as i have said before this story isn't going to be all that long, four more chapters at most probably. But I will say this, While i'm not writing it so it will have a sequel, I'm writing in a way so that I will be able to give it one if i want. In others words i will probably come back and continue the "timeline" if you will. Thats the kind of person I am, I'd rather create a big long continuity rather then a bunch of "what if" style stories, not that either way is wrong, it's personal preference. But enough of that.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam.**

**So here it finally is, Chapter three of Gundam 00: Alter!**

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**Gundam 00**

**Alter**

**Chapter Three**

_Mystify_

_Definition of Mystify: To perplex the mind_

Setsuna opened his eyes to the sun peeking in though his window. He looked at his clock and found it was Seven ten in the morning. His first class wasn't until nine so he had time. He found that while he never used an alarm clock he was never late. True to his usual morning exercise he sat up and opened his mind. He felt around, first finding the other meisters then checking the others. Lyle and Marie were downstairs, although Allelujah was absent. Tieria was in his room, at the computer from what Setsuna could tell. He found stronger reactions were easier to pinpoint. Next he noticed two familiar reactions, causing him stand up and dress in a simple dark blue shirt and jeans before walking out the door. He headed downstairs and walked into the diner to find Ian and Linda sitting at the counter.

Lyle was the first to notice him. "Good morning Setsuna." The meister greeted. The greeting caused the two mechanics to look his way.

"Hey Setsuna." Ian greeted him. "Bet you can't wait for the delivery to arrive in a few days." He joked, the 'delivery' being the Gundams. Setsuna just nodded before sitting down on a stool.

"How are the jobs?" He nonchalantly asked as he looked over at the two.

"They are going well, it's quite easy compared to what we a used to working with, but it's a nice change of pace." Linda told him with a smile. "Although Ian has been fidgety ever since he head about the delivery, saying things like 'they better not have messed up' and such." He giggled as Ian got a defensive look.

"Their delicate machines, you have to be careful with them." He defended himself. "Not that Setsuna understands that, mister 'I use Trans-am even though it doesn't work'." He muttered the last part under his breath so it was barely hearable.

The side of Setsuna's mouth twitched at Ian's reverence to the time he tried to use trans-am and overloaded the 00 while fighting Graham. Although Setsuna didn't actually register that he found humor in it. Lyle set food in front of the three of them. He had found that since Setsuna never complained and was honest, brutally so sometimes as Lyle had learned, he was a great tester for new dishes. Although he had to make do with feedback that consisted of no more then three words, such as 'it was good' or 'it wasn't good'. Strangely enough Setsuna seemed to be right most of the time when Lyle had others try the same dish. The three ate in silence. Once they finished Ian and Linda stood up.

"Thanks for the meal." Ian said. "And warn Tieria because I think Mileina is planning to stop over tomorrow." He informed them as the two headed for the door.

"Roger." Lyle replied with a smile, feeling a little sorry for Tieria.

Setsuna stood up once they were gone, causing Lyle to look in his direction with a curious look. "A little bland." Setsuna said, keeping to his three-word limit.

"Hmm, maybe something to spice it up then." Lyle though out loud as Setsuna headed to the back door.

Setsuna returned to his room and resumed his training. He first tried to focus his mind in the direction he knew the two would head, but he was unable to find them. He could focus in a since direction to go farther away, but it was more of a strain on his mind. He then proceeded to see all the minds around and in the diner. After a few minute of practice he stood up and prepared his books. It was still a little early but his didn't mind waiting in the classroom so he headed out, nodding goodbye to Lyle and Marie as he went through the diner. Once out on the street he proceeded with a new training he had thought of a few days before. He opened his mind once again but this time while moving. He had quickly learned to keep the mind bubble small. During his first attempt he had tripped, bumped into people, and almost walked into a pole while doing this training. He had since learned that if he kept it to just the people that are right next to him he could focus well enough on both. He continued to do this until he reached the campus. He then headed inside and to the classroom like always.

Since Setsuna had arrived early he figured he has some time. He got a surprise when Feldt sat down next to him, causing him to glance around the room to find it was just them.

"My class got out early so I headed straight here." Feldt explained when she noticed his glance. "Sophie and Ella didn't feel like coming straight here instead of taking their time."

Setsuna just nodded to confirm he heard her.

"So I had an idea that I want to tell you about, but I want to do a little more research before I do, I think you and the others will like it though." She continued like always. She knew that if there were going to be conversation it would have to be her initiating it. "But if we can manage it I would like yours and Ian's help." She finished as she got her books out.

Setsuna wondered at the cryptic request, but he decided not to press the issue. During their conversation more students had started to enter the room and it wasn't long until class started. The two of them focused on the lesson as usual and as it finished Setsuna got up to move to his next class. "See you later." He told Feldt as he walked off, leaving her to be surprised at his verbal farewell.

It wasn't until his Basic mobile suit development class that something new happened. He had taken his usual seat at the back of class and there were a few minutes before it started. Most of the students had arrived. When a guy sat down next to Setsuna, earning him a few weary looks from the rest of the class.

This didn't go unnoticed. "That was a weird reaction." The guy, probably twenty or twenty-one years old, said as he looked around.

"That's because people don't usually come near me." Setsuna explained as if he didn't care.

"Oh, is that was it was? I don't see why other then your hair. Bit weird way to dye it, no offence." The guy told him.

"It's not dyed." Setsuna countered.

"So it's natural? A little early to be going grey, and the wrong end." He joked.

"Not exactly." Setsuna once again countered, not bothering to explain further.

"Well anyway, I'm Sev Elama, twenty-one, mobile suit development major." The boy finally introduced himself.

"Setsuna F. Seiei, twenty-three, custom major." Setsuna replied while taking a good look at the Sev. He had jet-black hair and bright blue eyes.

Sev looked hard at him for a second before speaking again. "Are you from Azadistan?" He asked.

"Former Krugis, I lived elsewhere after the Annexation so I was never a citizen of Azadistan." Setsuna explained, wondering how he would react.

"I see." Sev muttered, not seeming bothered by it. "I'm from Azadistan so that's why I wondered." He told Setsuna. "This is actually my first day here. Because of some paperwork issues I'm starting rather late." He explained, which explained why Setsuna had never seen him before. "Oh, looks like class is starting." Sev realized as he pulled his books out. Surprisingly Sev focused just a much as Setsuna did on the lesson, maybe because he had a lot of catching up to do. Once class was over Sev turned to Setsuna again.

"So what do you have next?" He asked.

"Lunch." Setsuna stated as he stood up.

"Cool me to, can I join you?" Sev followed him out of the room.

"Do whatever you want." Setsuna replied as they headed for the cafeteria. Once they had gotten their food and sat down Sev continued his endless talking.

"So you take really detailed notes, any chance I can look over then ones from what I've missed?" Sev pleaded with a mock desperate look on his face.

Setsuna thought about it for a second. "Shouldn't be a problem." He finally answered.

"Yes! Thanks Setsuna!" He rejoiced, almost sending his food flying.

"I don't keep the files on my handheld though, so come to this address tomorrow since its Saturday." Setsuna instructed as he wrote the address down and handed it to him.

"Your house?" Sev wore a surprised look at the invitation.

"Yes and no." Was all Setsuna said as he pulled out his handheld and started working on some homework like he always did for the lunch hour.

Sev followed suit once he realized that he wasn't going to get any more explanation. The two stayed like that for the remainder on the lunch hour. As it neared its end Setsuna put his handheld away and stood up.

"What's your next class?" Sev asked as he did likewise.

"Physics." Setsuna replied as he headed out.

"Cool, looks like we have the same class again." Sev told him as he caught up.

They didn't talk much once they reached the classroom. During the class Sev asked Setsuna a few basic question to which Setsuna replied while trying to keep it simple. Setsuna himself was starting to wonder why he was being so open with Sev. He had never really tried to interact with other students before. But Sev seem different, maybe it was because he was from Azadistan, but Setsuna couldn't say for sure. Even Setsuna's innovator intuition put him at ease since he sensed nothing but genuine honesty from him. He seemed to simple want to be friends. Setsuna also took a moment to note that his mental reaction to Setsuna's mind was only slightly weaker then Lyle's. Once the class ended they both stood up.

"I have Basic Parts construction next, what about you?" Sev asked once again.

"Geology." Setsuna responded as they walked out.

"Alright then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Sev Joyfully commented as he waved and headed towards his class.

Setsuna watched him walk away before likewise heading towards his own class. Compared to the rest of the day the Class passed peacefully. He then found that Feldt had beaten them to the last class of the day.

"Hey Setsuna." She greeted with a smile as he sat down. "How's your day been?"

"Different." Was his reply.

Feldt just smiled at his answer, not bothering to try to get a more detailed explanation.

"How was yours?" Setsuna suddenly asked, startling Feldt.

She hesitated for a second out of surprise. "It was normal, nothing exciting happened." Just then the teacher walked in. As class started they devotedly took notes. Once it was over Feldt turned to Setsuna.

"So I'm heading to the library to do some research, you heading home?" She asked with a slightly sad expression, which Setsuna sensed was rooted in the whirlwind so he couldn't figure out why.

"Actually I planned to do the same." He replied, causing her mood to lift significantly.

"Great!" She said as she stood up. The left the Classroom building and headed to a nearby building. While it was called the library, just being on campus and having a student ID gave you access to the school information network, which contained all the materials in the library. This meant it was more of a physical copy storage room then an actual library. Although there were a few people, like Feldt, who actually preferred the physical copy. Setsuna didn't practically care either way, but he found that since it wasn't used much it was quite, and that he did like.

"So what are you looking for?" Feldt asked in hushed voice as they walked in.

"One of the professors told me that there were multiple reports publicized recently on the ELS. Reading them might help me understand what I need to know to understand them." Setsuna replied. "There is also some information I need for one of my classes." He finished.

Feldt just nodded. "Alright, I need to look some stuff up for that idea I told you about, plus I have some class research to do as well." She informed him. They then proceeded to find an empty area with a few comfy chairs in the back and set their bags down. Without a word they both moved off to collect what they were looking for. Setsuna decided that if he was here he might as well use the hard copies. Once Setsuna had collected the reports and books he needed he returned to the area they had chosen. He found Feldt already there with a stack of books and was already reading one. Without a word Setsuna sat down and started to read one of the reports.

As he suspected he couldn't understand a large portion of the reports. One of them he was able to get the gist of because it had to do with the capabilities of the ELS mobile suits. He understood it only because of the engineering knowledge he had from working with Celestial Being for so long and having Ian teach him how to work on his own suit. It was to the point where he considered himself to be relatively knowledgeable on mobile suits. He had gained insight into suits that didn't use GN drives when he had used the custom Flag and learned to maintain it. Once he had read through all the reports he moved on to studying for his class. It wasn't required topics to learn but he preferred to go the extra mile, another habit from his time in Celestial Being.

After a few hours Setsuna looked at his handheld to see that it was getting near the time Lyle usually made dinner. Deciding that he should head back he looked up to say something to Feldt, only to realize that she was fast asleep. She had fallen asleep while reading because the book was still in her hands. Setsuna started to study her sleeping face without even realizing it. He noticed that a lock of hair had fallen down in front of her eyes. Which lead him to note that she seemed to be growing it out again like it was two years ago. He suddenly stopped as he noticed his hand reaching up to brush the lock away. He jerked his hand back once he registered what he was doing.

He started to try to understand what he had been doing. He found couldn't understand it so he tried to search inside himself, something he had never done before. It seem to work well and he quickly found the emotion that the action was rooted in, but this only added more to the confusion. Because the emotion was one he didn't know and couldn't figure out. What made it worse was that the closest feeling he knew to it was the whirlwind inside Feldt. All these facts only made him more and more confused, which was something he wasn't use to. Just to be sure he reached out to Feldt's mind and compared the two feelings. As he had suspected they felt very similar, but that didn't help him much at all. Finally he decided that he would need more time to think it over.

Breaking free of the endless loop of confusion he stood up and shock Feldt's shoulder. She jerked awake only to see Setsuna standing in front of her. He noticed her face redden slightly as she realized she had fallen asleep.

"We should go." He told her as grabbed the reports and books and went to put them away. Feldt bolted upright and started to do likewise. Once they had put them all away they retrieved their bags and left the building. Setsuna walked Feldt home like he always did, but the whole time he was deep in though. Even once they arrived and Feldt told him goodbye he only nodded, leaving Feldt to wonder what had happened.

**CHAPTER THREE END**

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**Mwahahahaha This is SOOOOO much fun! This final scene was something that once I though it up I was like "I can't wait to write it!"**

**So something to point out, although it's probably not necessary. But do remember that love is an emotion Setsuna "killed" when he shot his parents, so he hasn't felt it for over like sixteen years. So he wouldn't really have any idea what it is.**

**But enough out of me, as always please review, tell me what you like, dislike, love, hate, I take it all. I really do like to hear from you, and I will try to not take so long next time.**

**So until next time**

**-Arenz**


	5. Chapter 4: Unaccustomed

**So I know, I'm a horrible person. And I'm truly sorry that it has taken me this long to update. Since college has started again both my motivation and time are being sucked away.**

**But enough with excuses. I finally go this chapter written and am happy with it. I figure I will have one or two more chapters then an epilogue. But don't worry, I have something exciting and awesome (I hope) planned.**

**As always thank you to everyone that reviewed, I always look at reviews when I need extra motivation.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00, but I do own my OCs and ideas.**

**So here it finally is, chapter four of Alter!**

* * *

**Gundam 00**

**Alter**

**Chapter Four**

_Unaccustomed_

_Definition of Unaccustomed: Not usual or common_

There's something reassuring about waking up to see the usual ceiling of a normal house. Maybe it's from living on a ship for so long, but having that security of waking up like every other person on earth was encouraging. Not having to worry about something happening, or getting attacked. That was what Feldt Grace believed anyway. She rolled over and looked at her clock. It read ten-thirty, _right, it's Saturday, no classes_ she thought as she rolled back over and cuddled her pillow thinking to get a few more minutes of sleep. After that few minutes was up she decided that it was time to get up.

Rising from her bed she looked around her room. It was by no means a girly room. It had a few personal things like cloths and pictures, as well as a desk with her schoolbooks on it, but other then that it was somewhat bare. Her eyes came to rest on two pictures sitting next to each other. The first was a picture from right after they started doing interventions seven years ago. It had Chris and Lichty, as well as Dr. Moreno and Neil. The second was taken shortly before the events leading to the final battle with the Innovades. Now with Lyle, Saji, Marie, Linda, and Mileina added in. Looking at those pictures always made her both happy and sad. Sad at the friends she had lost, but happy about the ones she had gained and what they had accomplished.

She stretched to loosen her muscles and walked over to her bathroom. After bathing and brushing her teeth she got dressed and exited her room.

"Good morning Feldt." Linda greeted her as she entered the kitchen. The sparse belongings must just be a side effect of living in a group like Celestial Being, because the whole apartment wasn't much better then her room. Boring neutral colored walls with a few pictures hanging on them, normal furniture, everything in its proper place. Some would call it neat, while others would say boring.

"Good morning." Feldt replied, to which Ian, who was sitting at the table working on his terminal, just grunted in reply. Feldt moved to look as the screen to see what he was so focused on. "Are those the Qant[t]'s and Zabanya's current conditions?" She asked while looking at all the data.

"Yeah, while the Qan[t] took little to no damage I still want to give it a through checking since it used the Quantum Gateway. As for the Zabanya, well it's going to need a through work over and completely retuned." Ian explained as he leaned back and took a sip of the coffee siting next to his terminal.

"Are you planning to visit the diner today Feldt?" Linda asked as she was cooking a late breakfast.

"Yes, I was planning to leave after I ate." Feldt replied as she took a seat.

"I believe Mileina was planning to as well." Linda told her.

"I was planning to do what?" Mileina asked as she walked into the room. She was dressed but still looked tired.

"Visit the diner today." Feldt explained what they were talking about.

The mention of the diner made Mileina jolt fully awake. "Of course I was." She said, starting to get excited. "I never have time to go there because of school and homework." She pouted.

Feldt chuckled at her actions as Linda set food on the table. They ate with light conversation while Ian continued to work. As they finished up Feldt stood up and placed her dishes in the dishwasher. "Ian, what do you think about that idea I told you about?" Feldt asked.

"Hmmm, there shouldn't be any problems, and I think the others would enjoy it. I'll handle getting the materials, you just figure out a place for them." Ian responded after thinking about it.

"Alright I'll talk to Lyle about it today." Feldt said as she walked back to her room to get her shoes and some homework to do while at the diner. She would often take homework, but not always get it done.

As she walked back out into the hall she looked into the kitchen to see Ian scowling at his terminal.

"Idiot extremists, why does there always have to be someone like that!" He remarked at whatever he was looking at.

"What's the matter?" Mileina asked as she also reemerged from her room.

"More of those anti-Innovator extremists are protesting again. There's always something people don't like going on." He replied.

"Lets just hope they stay as nothing more then protests." Linda commented as she looked at the screen as well.

"I bet they wouldn't be so quick to hate if they knew it was an Innovator that saved the whole planet from being turned to metal." Ian grumbled in annoyance.

"Unfortunately that's not such an easy thing for the government to announce, maybe in time they can explain it, but not yet, not when people can't even understand what an Innovator is." Linda commented. "Well don't worry about it for now, you girls should get going." She continued.

"Right!" Mileina cheered as she headed for the door and started putting her shoes on. Feldt followed close behind and did likewise. They said goodbye before walking out the door and to the elevator. They lived on the seventh floor of a ten-story building. As they entered the elevator Mileina hit the lobby button, causing the doors to close and the elevator started to descend. But instead of going all the way down it stopped at the third floor. The sixth trough tenth floors were three-bedroom apartments, while the first through fifth were one-bedroom apartments.

Much to the two girls surprise the one waiting for the elevator was Marie. "Feldt, Mileina! Are you two heading to the diner as well?" Marie asked with a surprised tone.

"Yep!" Mileina happily replied along with a nod from Feldt. "You just heading there to work now?" Mileina asked as the elevator resumed its decent.

"Yes, I was supposed to start early, but Allelujah called and said that it was really slow and I didn't need to." Marie explained. As she finished the Elevator reached the bottom floor and the three girls exited it and headed for the door. "So the Gundams arrive soon don't they?" Marie started the conversation up again as they walked.

"Yeah, although Ian said the Zabanya is going to take a lot of work to get functional again." Feldt answered. "Qan[t] is in pretty good shape though, so we'll have it in case of emergencies." She continued.

The girls continued to talk until they got near the diner. As the walked towards the door Feldt noticed a boy around her age standing out front looking very confused. He had jet-black hair and bright blue eyes. Feldt walked over towards the boy as the others headed in. "Do you need help with something?" She asked, startling the boy.

"Uhhh, yeah, I was given this address to come to today, but I think he must have written it wrong." The boy responded while showing her the address.

"Well this is the right address, who gave you this?" She inquired.

His name was Setsuna, I asked if I could see his notes since we share some classes and I entered school late." He explained.

"Setsuna did? That's rather surprising. Well anyway, you have the right place, this is where Setsuna lives." Feldt said as she started towards the door, the boy followed close behind.

As the doors slid open Feldt got a sensation that caused her to instinctively stop. The boy walked past her and Feldt watched as his feet went out from under him and he fell on his back.

"Owwww." The boy whined as he tried to get back up.

"You weren't fast enough Allelujah!" A voice that was obviously Lyle yelled.

"Did they get hurt?" Allelujah asked as he came rushing out of the back room with a few towels in his arms.

"You ok?" Lyle asked as he moved to help the boy up.

"Yeah, I'll live." The boy replied as he brushed himself off.

Feldt noticed that while she was watching this she could hear giggling coming from Mileina. She herself couldn't help but find it a bit funny.

"Sorry about that, a customer tripped and spilled water all over the floor. Allelujah there though he could get it cleaned up before anyone else came in." Lyle explained.

"It's ok, I've had worse." The boy insisted.

As Lyle motioned for him to have a seat and Allelujah started to clean up the water, Feldt though about why she had stopped. As she was thinking about it she noticed Setsuna standing in the doorway to the back room with a look that she could only assume was curiosity, and he was looking at her.

"Hey Setsuna." She greeted the Innovator. Setsuna just nodded in reply.

At her words the boy followed her line of sight. "Setsuna, next time you should probably mention that you live in a diner, it would save a lot of confusion." He said.

"I'll remember that." Was all Setsuna said as he moved to sit down near the boy.

"Friend of yours Setsuna?" Lyle asked as the got back behind the counter.

"I'm Sev Elama, I share classes with Setsuna but I just started recently so Setsuna said I could look at his notes from what I've missed." The boy finally introduced himself.

"Why did you just now start?" Marie asked, having finished helping Allelujah.

"I'm from Azadistan, and there were some paperwork problems that delayed my entry. Now that it's cleared up I can start attending." Sev explained.

"Azadistan huh, well that explain something I guess." Lyle muttered. "Well anyway, I'm Lyle Dylandy, the owner of this lovely establishment, that happy couple is Allelujah and Marie Haptism. Next we have Feldt Grace, who goes to the same school as you and Setsuna, and lastly the cheerful little lady there is Mileina Vashti." Lyle introduced everyone in turn while indicating them with his hand. All of them greeted him in turn with either a nod or a hello.

"Wow, quite the group." Sev commented as looked at them all.

"Here are the notes." Setsuna said as he set a data chip for a handheld terminal down in front of Sev.

"Thanks." He told him as he insert the chip into his device

"You can use a booth while you looks those over if you want, probably more comfortable. Want anything to drink while you're here?" Lyle inquired as the boy started reading.

"Ummm, Yeah thanks, can I get some coffee? I was up late trying to catch up on class reading and I could use the boost." He replied after realizing he was being talked to before moving over to an empty booth, hardly taking his eyes off the screen.

"Quite the focus." Lyle commented as he started poured the coffee and took it over to him.

"Certainly a lot of commotion down here." Tieria said as he walked into the diner from the back room, passing Lyle on his way to the counter.

"Tieria!" Mileina cheered as she ran over and sat next to him.

"Just the first person Setsuna ever invited over almost cracking his head open on the floor." Marie joked as she stepped behind the counter.

"Setsuna invited someone over?" A surprised voice asked from the direction of the door.

"Hey Lasse." Allelujah greeted the tall, dark hair pilot. "Get the stuff Lyle asked for?"

"Yeah, took a bit to find it all though. Who knew there were so many kinds of coffee." Lasse joked as he set two bags down on the counter.

"Haha, yeah, and we need to keep quite a few in stock. Thanks again for getting them." Allelujah laughed. He took the bags and started placing the coffee where it was supposed to go.

"So what's this about Setsuna inviting someone over?" Lasse asked again with a raised eyebrow.

Feldt pointed over to where Sev was sitting. "He is in some of Setsuna's classes and started late, so Setsuna is letting him look over his notes." She explained.

"Wow, way to go Setsuna, you made a friend!" Lasse said as he patted Setsuna on the back.

"Everyone is making a big deal out of this." Setsuna monotonously commented.

"That's because it IS a big deal." Lyle, who had returned to the counter, told him with a smile. "The good kind of big deal." He added with a grin.

"Well anyways, I have something to discuss with you all." Feldt changed the subject. "Lyle, the back room is still empty right?" She followed up with a question.

"Yeah, why?" He responded.

"I was thinking, since you guys don't have mobile suits right now but should keep your skills up, that we build a few simulators in the back room for you guys to practice on." Feldt explained. "Ian already said it's doable and he can get the materials needed, we just need the space."

"How many are we talking here?" Lyle asked while thinking about it.

"As many as we can fit or you want." She replied. "I was thinking start with two and then go up to four or more maybe."

"I'm fine with it, but I do have one request." Lyle grinned mischievously. This caused Feldt to have a confused look. "Put in a scoring system, make it a compotation." He finished.

"What kind of scoring system?" She tried to clarify.

"That's up to you, I'm sure you will come up with something good." He dismissed the question. "You guys like that idea right?" He addressed the other meisters, including Marie.

Feldt looked around to see Marie and Allelujah smiling, Tieria chuckled, and even Setsuna had cracked a small grin. "Fine, fine, I'll figure something out." She gave up. "If your going to make me have to do that then at least hurry up with lunch." She snapped at him in a friendly way.

Lyle, Allelujah, and Marie made lunch for everyone, even inviting Sev to join them as they ate. After they finished Sev looked around at the group.

"So how do you end up with a group this diverse?" He asked.

Everyone looked at each other before Tieria answered. "We were all part of a group that has since disbanded. But we chose to say together anyways." He explained.

"What kind of group?" Sev continued.

"It was an engineering group, everyone here has at least some engineering knowledge. Setsuna joined young and Feldt and Mileina were both born in the group." Tieria expanded on his explanation. It was all true, to an extent. They all had some engineering knowledge just so they could take care of their suits, and Feldt and Mileina had the knowledge because they had truly been born into it. Tieria had though all this out beforehand just for such a situation as this.

Sev seemed satisfied with that explanation. "I see, well I should get back to looking over those notes so I can finish them by the end of the day." He said as he returned to the booth he was using.

"Very nice Tieria." Lyle complimented him.

"It's not like it was difficult, it will work as long as it's believable." Tieria replied with his usual humility.

"So who all do you want to help with the simulators Feldt?" Lasse asked.

"I was thinking maybe Setsuna since he doesn't work here all the time, and you when you're available." She told him. "Maybe Tieria's help with programming the data into the system." She finished off.

"I'll help when I'm needed." Tieria consented, even though he wasn't directly being asked.

"So will I!" Mileina also offered

While Setsuna just nodded, since he had been expecting it because of her saying something the day before.

"Thanks, now I should probably try to get some homework done." Feldt said as she pulled out her terminal and the assignments she had brought with her.

Tieria's phone went off as he was getting up. "Ian? What could he want at this time of day?" Tieria muttered as he headed for the back room, Mileina watching him go.

Feldt just watched him with curiosity as he left the room before returning to her work. As she sat there she couldn't help but regularly look up at everyone. Lyle, Marie, and Allelujah went about their work, Lasse and Setsuna were talking, and Mileina had also brought homework to do. She couldn't help but feel very comfortable. Sitting here surrounded by what she considered her family, as did the others. She realized that her eyes kept drifting to Setsuna as she thought of family, causing her to be both embarrassed with herself and happy. Finally she shook her head and told herself to focus and resumed her work.

**CHAPTER FOUR END**

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**So I mixed it up and followed Feldt this chapter. Next chapter will probably be a mixture of the two and finally with some action, so look forward to it.**

**And I'll try my best not to take month to get it written.**

**Also, I have another Gundam project I will be writing in the works, so look forward to that once I finish up this story.**

**As always, until next time**

**-Arenz**


End file.
